All posts by David Johnson

David “Johnno” Johnson is our chief football researcher and writer. With over 20 years of coaching experience in all grades of football David was also a prominent footballer himself, having played at Teal Cup level and was even recruited by the Essendon Football Club. The pinnacle of David's coaching experience saw him as the assistant coach of the East Fremantle Shark Football Club in the WAFL for a number of years.

This is a drill that teaches a “front and square” set up, with hard inside running in numbers and long accurate kicking. A full oval drill that incorporates the entire team training. Corridor Full Oval Drill 138.42 KB Download *Requires...

This is a great drill that allows a team to practice their ball movement and structures in match like conditions. It is an excellent drill for the entire team (or multiple squads) to compete in. 14 vs 11 Game Sense...

SUMMARY: Just as important as the skills and conditioning program you are putting your players is the ability to allow your players the chance to recover effectively. In this article, you'll discover how to aid the recovery process through the use...

SUMMARY: Set shot goal kicking has not improved after a hundred years of AFL, even though the kicking efficiency of today's modern players has increased significantly. So why do players choke up in front of goal? Turns out it has...

With West Coast Eagles Superboot, Shannon Hurn SUMMARY: How should full backs kick out when faced with a man-on-man defence? Or what about a zone defence? Or playing on? Shannon Hurn from the West Coast Eagle recently shared his tips...

A running drill aimed at teaching players to switch play and rebound, while also practicing their angled kicking. As a variation, you can also put two players at each position and have them handballing to each other and working in...

SUMMARY: How are you planning practice matches this year? And how do you compare to what others are doing? In this feature article, we talk to Simon Goosey, coach of the Frankston Dolphins in the VFL, about how they have...

A running drill which educates players on how to create an overlap with the opponent. This highly effective drill focuses on both offensive and defensive skills while testing a players fitness and endurance. 10 Stations 239.28 KB Download *Requires Adobe...

SUMMARY: Have you ever wondered why Brazil has dominated world soccer over richer European nations? Is the reason poverty? Is it because Brazilians are naturally more graceful? Or is because of a secret “training game” that the rest of the...

SUMMARY: What advice can you give to your players to improve their kicking efficiency? Namely, how often should they practice their kicking? What’s the best way to hold the ball for a drop punt? What types of kicking should they...

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CoachAFL is a research firm publishing practical coaching information on Australian Rules Football for coaches and players at all levels. Featuring articles and drills to develop teams in any competition we pride ourselves on delivering the highest quality coaching material in the sport. With over 10,000 regular followers we have one of the largest (if not the largest) subscriber bases of coaches in the world.